Long-term life expectancy in severe traumatic brain injury: a systematic review.

Introduction: Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) pose significant challenges to public health, medicine, and society due to their substantial impact on victims, caregivers, and the community. While indicators like life expectancy or death rates provide insights into mortality and long-term outcomes, they fail to address how TBIs affect aging, neurological sequelae, cognitive impairment, and psychological or psychiatric disorders. Moreover, most studies are limited to North America, limiting the generalizability of findings across different social welfare systems.

Life expectancy and long-term survival after traumatic spinal cord injury: a systematic review.

Introduction: Spinal cord injuries have a considerable impact on healthcare in terms of mortality and morbidity. To address the difficulties faced by people affected by this condition and to raise awareness among stakeholders and policymakers, it is crucial to understand factors impacting survival. The purpose of this study is to systematically review the literature on life expectancy in people with traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI), identifying key factors influencing mortality and survival.

A multi-center international study on the spinal cord independence measure, version IV: Rasch psychometric validation.

Context: The Spinal Cord Independence Measure is a comprehensive functional rating scale for individuals with spinal cord lesion (SCL).

Objective: To validate the scores of the three subscales of SCIM IV, the fourth version of SCIM, using advanced statistical methods.

Study Design: Multi-center cohort study.

Neurological recovery after early versus delayed surgical decompression for acute traumatic spinal cord injury.

The aim of this study was to determine whether early surgical treatment results in better neurological recovery 12 months after injury than late surgical treatment in patients with acute traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI). Patients with tSCI requiring surgical spinal decompression presenting to 17 centres in Europe were recruited. Depending on the timing of decompression, patients were divided into early (≤ 12 hours after injury) and late (> 12 hours and < 14 days after injury) groups.

Causes and length of stay of readmission among individuals with traumatic spinal cord injury: a prospective observational cohort study.

Background: Secondary conditions may reduce function and participation in individuals with chronic Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). The knowledge of reasons for readmission to the hospital may be enlightening to prevent them and remodel the health services.

Study Design: Multicenter prospective observational study of all consecutive readmissions of persons with SCI after rehabilitation completion.

Dysphagia in multiple system atrophy consensus statement on diagnosis, prognosis and treatment.

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a combination of autonomic failure plus cerebellar syndrome and/or parkinsonism. Dysphagia is a frequent and disabling symptom in MSA and its occurrence within 5 years of motor onset is an additional diagnostic feature. Dysphagia can lead to aspiration pneumonia, a recognized cause of death in MSA.

Traumatic spinal cord injury in Italy 20 years later: current epidemiological trend and early predictors of rehabilitation outcome.

Study Design: Multicenter prospective observational study of people with acute traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) admitted to rehabilitation.

Objectives: To update epidemiological characteristics of a TSCI Italian population and verify the impact of patient characteristics at admission on two outcomes: functional gain (SCIM III) and discharge destination.

Setting: Thirty-one SCI centers for comprehensive rehabilitation in 13 Italian regions.

Stridor in multiple system atrophy: Consensus statement on diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a combination of autonomic failure, cerebellar ataxia, and parkinsonism. Laryngeal stridor is an additional feature for MSA diagnosis, showing a high diagnostic positive predictive value, and its early occurrence might contribute to shorten survival. A consensus definition of stridor in MSA is lacking, and disagreement persists about its diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.

Possible Strategies to Optimize a Biomarker Discovery Approach to Correlate with Neurological Outcome in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study.

The lack of reliable diagnostic and prognostic markers for spinal cord injured (SCI) patients is a severe obstacle in development and testing of new therapies, and it also impairs appropriate rehabilitation care. The sparse available data on the biochemical composition of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) during the acute and/or chronic phase of the lesion provide, up until now, inconsistent results. In this pilot study, we then explored the possibility of combining a multi-parametric and bioinformatic analysis of CSF for its biological properties tested on different cells types, suitable for investigating inflammation and re-myelination.

Proactive Cortical Control in Spinal Cord Injury Subjects with Paraplegia.

Preparatory cortical activities were investigated in subjects with paraplegia attributed to spinal cord injury (SCI). Electroencephalogram (EEG) and behavioral data were recorded simultaneously in a visual-motor discrimination go/no-go task performed with the right upper limb. Eighteen SCI subjects participated to one, two, or three experimental sessions (Go/No-Go task), according to their availability and willingness to participate.

The burden of colonization and infection by carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in the neuro-rehabilitation setting: a prospective six-year experience.

We describe the high burden of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) colonization and infection in a neuro-rehabilitation hospital in Italy over a 6-year period. Overall, 9.3% of patients were found to be CPE carriers on admission; the rates of CPE in-hospital acquisition and CPE-BSI were 9.

Outcomes Following Ischemic Myelopathies and Traumatic Spinal Injury.

As the general population ages, the rising prevalence of vascular lesions of the spinal cord will become significant. The aim of this study was to compare the neurological and functional outcomes of patients with ischemic spinal cord injury (ISCI) and traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI). We conducted a retrospective study in a spinal cord unit of 2 rehabilitation hospitals.

Incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury in Italy during 2013-2014: a population-based study.

Study Design: Observational prospective population-based incidence study.

Objectives: The main objective of this study was to assess the incidence of traumatic spinal cord injuries (TSCIs) and incidence rates, in order to provide estimates by age, gender, characteristics and cause.

Setting: This study was conducted at acute-care spinal cord injury (SCI) hospitals and SCI centers from 11 Italian regions, between 1 October 2013 and 30 September 2014.

Early Barrett esophagus-related neoplasia in segments 1 cm or longer is always associated with intestinal metaplasia.

The assumption that intestinal metaplasia is a prerequisite for intraepithelial neoplasia/dysplasia and adenocarcinoma in the distal esophagus has been challenged by observations of adenocarcinoma without associated intestinal metaplasia. This study describes our experience of intestinal metaplasia in association with early Barrett neoplasia in distal esophagus and gastroesophageal junction. We reviewed the first endoscopic mucosal resection of 139 patients with biopsy-proven neoplasia.

What do spinal cord injury patients think of their improvement? A study of the minimal clinically important difference of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure III.

Background: The Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM III) is a scale of independence in the activities of daily life, specifically designed for spinal cord injury subjects.

Aim: The aim of this study was to calculate the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of the SCIM III according to distribution and anchor based approach.

Design: Prospective study.

Validation of the Italian version of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM III) Self-Report.

Study Design: Cross-sectional validation study.

Objectives: To validate the Italian version of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure Self-Report (SCIM SR).

Setting: Two spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation facilities in Italy.

Observational study of the effectiveness of spinal cord injury rehabilitation using the Spinal Cord Injury-Ability Realization Measurement Index.

Study Design: Retrospective observational study.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the rehabilitation potential and the extent to which it is realized in a cohort of spinal cord injury patients using the Spinal Cord Injury-Ability Realization Measurement Index (SCI-ARMI) and to study the clinical factors that influence this realization.

Setting: Two spinal units in Italy.

The role of surgical treatment in the rehabilitation protocols of thoraco-lumbar spine injuries.

Background: Rehabilitation is a crucial issue in the management of spinal cord injuries (SCI) but, in these patients, the primary treatment can bias the outcome of recovery protocols.

Aim: Purpose of this paper is to review our case load in the treatment of surgical failures and to define the role of surgery in thoraco-lumbar injuries rehabilitation.

Patients And Methods: Between 2000 and 2009 seventy patients with post-traumatic paraplegia were referred to Surgical Department as rehabilitation was unfeasible due to inadequate spine injury treatment.

Is there an association between radiologist turnaround time of emergency department abdominal CT studies and radiologic report quality?

The aim of this study was to assess for an association between radiologists' turnaround time (TAT) and report quality for emergency department (ED) abdominopelvic CT examinations. Reports of 60 consecutive ED abdominopelvic CT studies from five abdominal radiologists (300 total reports) were included. An ED radiologist, abdominal radiologist, and ED physician independently evaluated satisfaction with report content (1-10 scale), satisfaction with report clarity (1-10 scale), and extent to which the report advanced the patient on a previously published clinical spectrum scale (1-5 scale).

Pulmonary nodules in patients with primary malignancy: comparison of hybrid PET/MR and PET/CT imaging.

Purpose: To assess diagnostic sensitivity of radial T1-weighted gradient-echo (radial volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination [VIBE]) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, positron emission tomography (PET), and combined simultaneous PET and MR imaging with an integrated PET/MR system in the detection of lung nodules, with combined PET and computed tomography (CT) as a reference.

Materials And Methods: In this institutional review board-approved HIPAA-compliant prospective study, 32 patients with tumors who underwent clinically warranted fluorine 18 ((18)F) fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT followed by PET/MR imaging were included. In all patients, the thorax station was examined with free-breathing radial VIBE MR imaging and simultaneously acquired PET data.

Imaging of bronchiectasis.

Despite limitations, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) continues to be the gold standard for establishing the anatomic extent and severity of bronchiectasis. HRCT allows insight into the physiologic consequences of bronchiectasis. Recent reports show that there is good correlation between measurements of the density of airway walls and airway obstruction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

CT colonography in senior versus nonsenior patients: extracolonic findings, recommendations for additional imaging, and polyp prevalence.

Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate the frequency of recommendations for additional imaging (RAIs) for important extracolonic findings and polyp prevalence among a cohort of seniors (age ≥ 65 years) and nonseniors (age < 65 years) undergoing low-dose computed tomographic (CT) colonography.

Materials And Methods: Institutional review board approval was obtained for this HIPAA-compliant retrospective study. Four hundred fifty-four patients (204 nonseniors: mean age, 52 years; 250 seniors: mean age, 69 years) underwent CT colonography at an outpatient facility.

Comparison of a unidirectional panoramic 3D endoluminal interpretation technique to traditional 2D and bidirectional 3D interpretation techniques at CT colonography: preliminary observations.

Aim: To compare the evaluation times and accuracy of unidirectional panoramic three-dimensional (3D) endoluminal interpretation to traditional two-dimensional (2D) and bidirectional 3D endoluminal techniques.

Materials And Methods: Sixty-nine patients underwent computed tomography colonography (CTC) after bowel cleansing. Forty-five had no polyps and 24 had at least one polyp > or = 6 mm.

Pattern recognition of benign nodules at ultrasound of the thyroid: which nodules can be left alone?

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate morphologic features predictive of benign thyroid nodules.

Materials And Methods: From a registry of the records of 1,232 fine-needle aspiration biopsies performed jointly by the cytology and radiology departments at a single institution between 2005 and 2007, the cases of 650 patients were identified for whom both a pathology report and ultrasound images were available. From the alphabetized list generated, the first 500 nodules were reviewed.